Sanitary cover for a recessed floor drain



1968 s. L. MAXWELL 3,418,669

SANITARY COVER FOR A RECESSED FLOOR DRAIN Filed July 14, 1966 INVENTOR.

STUA RT L.MAX WELL ATTORNE Y5 United States Patent This invention relates to a sanitary cover for a recessed floor drain. More particularly, the invention relates to a cover for a recessed floor drain including means of providing a sanitary and effective arrangement for holding a drain tube relative to a recessed floor drain.

Most food servicing areas in restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, drive-in facilities, etc., are required by health regulations to provide floor drains which communicate with sanitary sewer systems. These floor drains are typically formed in concrete floors and to insure drainage of the floors, the most common way of arranging the floor drains is to provide a grate which is recessed below the level of the concrete floor. Usually the area around the recessed grate is tapered upwardly, that is, a relatively large diameter opening is provided in the floor surface tapering downwardly to the recessed grate. These large diameter openings are unsightly and are a safety hazard. In addition, one of the most serious problems in connection with the use of such recessed grate floor drains is in connection with drain tubes. Many types of food servicing equipment, particularly of the type utilized in servicing ice cream and the like, include equipment wherein water continuously flows through the equipment, including utensil holding pans and so forth, the water ultimately flowing outwardly through an overflow drain tube. In addition, refrigeration equipment frequently includes overflow tubes which must be connected to a drain. The health regulations in many urbanized areas prohibit extending these drain tubes into the drainage grate directly.

The health codes prohibit extending drain tubes directly into floor drains in many areas and the reason for this is that the drains, being integrally connected with a sanitary sewage system, are a prolific source of bacteria and potential disease causing germs. With any type of drainage tubes having water flowing therein, there is always the possibility of backfiow and, when a drainage tube extends within a floor drain, there is always the possibility of some malfunction causing a backfiow wherein water from the sewage system is syphoned into equipment utilized to wash utensils utilized in serving food. In addition, if a drain tube is for any reason dry of liquid, air can pass freely through the tube. That is, air is conducted from the drain into the vicinity of the area wherein the utensils are washed. For these reasons health authorities frequently require drainage tubes to terminate adjacent drainage grates but prohibit their being inserted into the grates.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a sanitary cover for recessed floor drains.

More particularly, an object of this invention is to provide a sanitary cover for a recessed floor drain including means of holding a drain tube.

These and other objects of the invention will be better understood by reference to the following specification and claims, taken in conjunction with the attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of the sanitary floor drain of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIGURE 1 showing the sanitary floor drain of this invention positioned to cover a typical recessed floor drain.

FIGURE 3 is an isometric view of the tube holder element of the invention.

Referring to the figures, the sanitary floor drain of this invention consists of a flat horizontal plate member 10 having a size sufiicient to cover floor drain opening to which it is to be applied. The peripheral configuration of the member 10 is not pertinent to the invention and it may be rectangular, square or, as illustrated, circular. Plate member 10 is preferably formed of metal of thickness and strength so as to support any weight normally expected to be placed upon it and, where steel or cast iron is utilized, the plate member may be galvanized to prevent rusting.

A small diameter opening 12 is formed in the center of the plate member 10. Aflixed to the lower surface 14 of the plate member 10 are downwardly extending lugs 16 which may be, as illustrated, welded to the plate member.

- Each of the lugs 16, which may be in the form of elongated nuts, has a threaded opening 18 therein communicating with the lower surface thereof. Threadably positioned in each of the threaded openings 18 is a downwardly extending bolt 20, preferably having a bolt head 22 at the lower end thereof.

The lugs 16 are arranged in a spaced relationship on the lower surface of the plate 10 and are positioned intermediate the central opening 12 and the periphery 24 of the plate member. While four lugs 16 are shown, other numbers may be utilized. However, it is prefer-red that at least three such lugs 'be utilized. Bolts 20 depending from lugs 16 can be threaded further into or out of threaded openings 18 to vary the spacing of heads 22 from the plate 10 so that the heads 22 may engage the recessed grate 26 which the device covers. The lugs 16 and bolts 20 have two basic purposes; first, they serve to support the plate 10 to give increased weight supporting strength to the cover and, second, the lugs 16 and bolts 20 hold the cover in proper position over the floor drain and in central position over the recessed grate 26 so as to prevent the cover from being accidentally displaced.

Affixed to the upper surface 28 of the plate member 10 is a tube holder 30. The holder 30 extends through a hole 31 in the plate adjacent opening 12, and has-a tube receiving opening 32 therein. The opening 32 is coaxial with and spaced above the small diameter plate opening 12.

With the sanitary cover of this invention positioned over a typical floor drain grate as shown in the crosssectional view of FIGURE 2, the drain is covered to substantially improve the appearance thereof. More important, however, the covered drain eliminates a safety hazard. Of still more importance is the provision of a means of holding a drain tube 38. As previously stated, many devices utilized in connection with food service require drainage tubes which must terminate at fioor drains. With the sanitary floor drain cover of this invention the end 40 of drain tube 38 is positioned in the opening 32 of tube holder 30 so that the end 40 terminates above the upper surface 28 of the plate member and in substantial axial alignment with the small diameter opening 12. In this way liquid draining from tube 38 passes downwardly through opening 12 and the grate 26 into the sanitary sewage system to which the drain is connected. This arrangement eliminates any chance of back-siphoning should the flow of liquid in the drain tube 38 reverse for any reason. In addition, free air passage is provided between the upper surface of the plate 10 and lower end 40 of the drain tube 38 so as to substantially eliminate germ laden air being forced upwardly through tube 38 from the floor drain.

The sanitary cover of this invention provides an arrangement which has many advantages. First, it provides a means of covering an unsightly recessed floor drain. Second, it provides a cover having strength to support the weight of any equipment which might be positioned on the drain. Third, it improves safety by elimination of an exposed recess in a floor. Fourth, it provides means of receiving a drainage tube in a spaced arrangement such that back-siphoning is prevented in compliance with requirements of many health codes.

An additional advantage of the invention is that the tube holder can be removed if not required and thereby provide a tightly fitted cover over a recessed drain with no upstanding obstructions.

While this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is manifest that many changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement of components without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:

1. A sanitary cover for a recessed floor drain comprisa flat horizontal plate member having a small diameter opening in the center thereof;

vertical downwardly extending lugs aflixed to the lower surface of said plate member, said lugs being spaced from each other and positioned intermediate said small opening and the periphery of said plate, each of said lugs having a threaded opening therein communicating with the lower surface thereof;

a bolt threadably positioned in each of said lugs threaded openings and extending downwardly therefrom; and

an upstanding tube holder afiixed to the upper surface of said plate member adjacent said opening, said tube holder having a tube receiving opening therein coaxial with and spaced above said plate opening.

2. A sanitary cover for a recessed floor drain according to claim 1 wherein said upstanding tube holder is removable.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 80,647 4/ 1897 Parker 4-293 1,213,668 1/1917 McKinstry 4-292 FOREIGN PATENTS 7,776 1894 Great Britain.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A SANITARY COVER FOR A RECESSED FLOOR DRAIN COMPRISING: A FLAT HORIZONTAL PLATE MEMBER HAVING A SMALL DIAMETER OPENING IN THE CENTER THEREOF; VERTICAL DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING LUGS AFFIXED TO THE LOWER SURFACE OF SAID PLATE MEMBER, SAID LUGS BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND POSITIONED INTERMEDIATE SAID SMALL OPENING AND THE PERIPHERY OF SAID PLATE, EACH OF SAID LUGS HAVING A THREADED OPENING THEREIN COMMUNICATING WITH THE LOWER SURFACE THEREOF; 